Fertility clinicians and infertile patients in China have different preferences in fertility care

STUDY QUESTION Do the preferences for fertility care of infertile Chinese patients differ from those of fertility care providers? SUMMARY ANSWER Infertile Chinese patients attached the greatest importance to physicians' attitude but, in contrast, fertility care providers in China considered treatment effectiveness to be the most important factor in fertility care. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY In Europe, physicians underestimate the importance of patient-centred infertility care. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION A conjoint survey was distributed among 417 female infertile Chinese patients and 83 fertility care providers from February 2013 to August 2013. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS In this pilot study, 389 patients and 83 fertility care providers completed the survey at three reproductive medicine centres. Rating-based conjoint analysis was performed to elicit patients' and their caregivers' preferences regarding fertility care. Cluster analysis was used to explore the heterogeneity among patients' preferences. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE When searching for fertility care, patients valued the physicians' attitude the most, followed by success rates, distance from home to the fertility centre, physician continuity throughout the treatment period and type of fertility centre. Fertility care providers considered success rates (effectiveness) to be the most important factor when recommending a fertility centre. Fertility patients and care providers had significantly different views on the value of treatment effectiveness, physician attitude and physician continuity (P-values